Saturating apparatus



l. V. CUNHA. SATURAT'ING APPARATUS.

APPLICAYION FILED MAY 29. 1920.

1,435,810, muted Nov. 14,1922.

A TTORNE YS J. V. CUNHA.

sATURATING APPARATUS.

AAPPLICMHON FILED MAY 29. 1920.

Patented. Nov. M, 1922.

' 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 WITNESS c/z f a ATTORNEYS Patented Nov.. Ml, IQZ

nur sfere JOHNV. CUNHA, OF BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR T0 THE PANIES, INC., OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, A CORPORATION SATURATING- 1,435,311.11 FATINT FFECE.

PARAFFINE COM- OF DELAWARE.

APPARATUS.

Application iled May 29,1920. S'erial No. 385,147.

f To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, JoHN V. CUNHA, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Berkeley, county of Alameda, and State of California` have invented a new and useful `Saturating Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to apparatus for saturating roofing fabrics.'

An object of the invention is .to provide an apparatus capable of thoroughly and uniformly impregnating or saturating roofing fabrics with a waterproof compound such as asphaltum.

Another object of the invention is to prolvide an apparatus of the character described which operates at a speed sufficient to enable it to keep pace with the coating operations which are much faster normally than previously known saturating processes. This permits fabric from the saturating apparatus tok be run directly through the coating apparatus, the fabric moving through both, at the highest permissible speed.

The inventionpossesses other objects and yfeatures of advantage, some of which, with the foregoing, will be set forth in the following description of the preferred form of my invention which is illustrated inthe drawings accompanying and forming part of the specification. It is to. be understoodl that I do not limit myself to the showing made by the said drawings and description, as I may adopt variations of the preferred form withixti the scope of my invention as set forth in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of the apparatus of my invention and Figure 2 is aside elevation thereof. Both views are partially in diagram. Figure 3 is an elevation in diagram showing the saturating drums and tank. Figure 4 is a side elevation of the tension controlling means including idler pulley 17.

From the supply roll 2 suitably mounted for rotation in frame 3, the web 4 of roofing fabric passes around the smooth brake cylinders 5, stationary in the frame 6, so as to give a certain tension to the Iweb, and then around heating drums 7 and 8 through which live steam is circulated by well known means, comprising pipes 110 connected axially with the drums by means of" the usual rotary couplings. While on the 19 to vary the slippage of the belt, so that the speed of the drums relative to the speed of the main shaft may be adjusted to a nicety. The size of the parts is such that if there were no slippage. of the belt 16, the drums would rotate atrifle faster than the normal operating speed of the machine. The idler 17 however is adjusted so4 that the slippage is such as to drive the heating drums a trifle slower than the succeeding portions of the machine so that the desired degree of tension is maintained on the web. Different materials and saturating comvpoundstnecessitate different adjustments of the idler to vary the slippage but'once properly adjusted for a given material and compound, the tension of the web through the entire subsequent portions of the machine is determined and controlled.

Adjacent the heating drums are a series of saturating drums 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26. and 27, over and around which, the web passes in the order named. These drums are also heated by live steam in the same manner as are the heating.drums, and it is while on them' that theweb is thoroughly and uniformly saturated with the waterproof compound, which is preferably asphaltum.V

The saturating drums are connected for rotation together by gears '28 fixed on their shafts. The gear on drum 21 is meshed with the gear on drum 22 which is also meshed with the gear on drum 23 and so on through the series of drums which thus all turn in the proper direction and at the same speed. The train of gears 28fis driven by a. pinion on shaft 29 arranged above drum 26 and turned by driving gear 31 connected by chain 32, jack shaft 33, and chain 34 to sprocket 36 on the main shaft.

Below the saturating drums is a tank for the saturating compound, divided. by a ari heating drums, the moisture in the fabric is tition 37 into two compartments 38 an 39,

ycompartment 38 underlying drum 21. A

valved by-pass 41 connects the two compartments so that if desired they may be placed in communication, the saturating compound then rising to the same level in each. For certain kinds of work, this is done, but usually the by-pass is closed and the compartment 38 kept full of compound, the surplus runnin into the compartment 39 over the edge 0% the partition. The compartments contain steam coils 42 for keeping the compound hot, and a very important portion of my invention iscomprised in the conceptlon of and means for circulating the compound through the tank andover the webs on the drums. Over drums 22 and 24 are arrangedl troughs 43 and 44 respectively, into which saturating compound from the front end (right of Figure 3)v of compartment 39 is pumped by means of'pipe 46 and gear pump 47. The trou hs are inclined so that the compound'spil s over the edge evenly upon the web on the drum below as shown in Figure 3.` The surplus compound from trough 43 drains into compartment 38, and keeps it full to the edge of the partition 37. The surplus compoundfrom trough 44 drains into compartment 39. Thus a continual circulation of saturating compound is maintained through the tank and over the heating coils therein, part of the circuit comprising cascades of the compound upon the upper surface of the web as it passes over the drums. The means, just described maintains a homogeneous compound, and at substantially the same temperature at all points so that varying conditions of density and temperature are avoided. A high quality of product cannot be secured if these' factors are uncertain and varying, and I have been able by the means set forth to reduce them to known quantities and maintain them substantially constant. With the bypass open, the lower portion of each drum is immersed in the compound, but this is desn'able only with certain kinds of fabric,

and ordinarily I close the by-pass, maintaining the first compartment 38 full and the second compartment at a lower level, so that only the first drum 2l is immersed in the saturating compound. Thus the web is immersed in the compound of the first compartment, as it Vruns under the drum 21, and since compound -is pouring down over the web from the trough 43, compound is also carried around the drum between it and the web. This also occurs with each of the other drums, sothat a thorough saturation of the fabric is effected. As the web' leaves the last drum 27, it passes over a stationary scraper roll 48 which removes surplus compound adhering .to the web, especially if the -lastroll is immersed i-n the compound. From time to time as needed, additional compound 1s pumped intothe tank through the conupper drums.

ductor 49 from a suitably arranged source of Supply- The web next passes through the coating apparatus, in which the surface ofthe impregnated fabric is covered with anely divided` mineral matter. This coating pre-l vents sticking of the roofing in the rolls, and also contributes toward its wearing qualities. Sincethis portion of the complete apparatus is of `known construction, I will not describe it in detail nor show it in the drawings.

lAfter leaving the coating apparatus, the web is wound into rolls 51 of convenient size for marketing.

I claim:

1. In a saturating apparatus, a tank adapted to hold ia saturating liquid, a series of drums upon which the web to be saturated is carried through the body of said liquid, a second vseries of drums upon which said web is carried and arranged above said first series, and means for flooding the webwith liquid from said tank as it passes over said 2.- In a saturating apparatus, a tank adapted to hold a saturating llquid, means for heating the liquid,I a series of drums u on which the web to befsaturated is carrie through the body -of said liquid, means for heating the drums, and means for flooding the web on the upper portion of the drums with liquid from said tank.

3. In a saturating apparatus, a tank adapted to hold a saturating liquid, a series of drums upon which the web to be saturated is carried through the body of said liquid, a trough arranged above one of said drums at one end of the tank, means for forcing liquid from the other end of the tank into' saidltrough whereby the overflow therefrom floods the, web on the upper portion of said drum, and means for rotating said drums.`

4. In a y saturating.. apparatus, a tank adapted to holdqa saturating liquid, a partition dividing said tank '-.into first and second compartments, a drum upon which the web to be saturated is carried through the body of the liquid in the first compartment, a second drum upon which said web i-.carrief".v arranged above` the first named' rum, a series of other drums upon which said web is carriedy and arranged. above the second compartment, atrough arranged above said second drum, means for forcing liquid from the Vopposite end of the second com artment into iflsasao l* of said tank,'upon which the web to be saturated is carried through the body of said liquid, a second drum upon which said web is carried arranged above said first drum', means for flooding the web with liquld from said ltank as it passes over said second drum, and means for drying and expanding the fibrous web before it enters said liquid.

6. In a saturating apparatus', a tank adapted to hold a saturating liquid, a series of drums upon which the web to be saturated is carried through the body of said liquid, heating drums about Whichsaid Web passes before contact with said saturating drums, means for rotating said drums and means interposed between said heating drums and said driving means for adjustably retarding the rotation of the heating drums.

7. In a saturating apparatus, a tank adapted to hold a saturating liquid, a series of drums uon which the web to be saturated is carrie through the body of said liquid,

8. In a saturating apparatus, a tank adapted to hold a saturatlng liquid, a series of drums upon which the Web to be saturated is carried through the body of said liquid, heating drums about which said web asses before contact 'with said saturating -1 rums, a main shaft, driving gear-connecting said shaft with the 'saturating drums, driving gear including a belt connecting said shaft with said heating drums, a pulley engaging one reach of said belt, and means for varying the position of said pulley to vary the slippage of said belt. I

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set m hando.

y JOHN V. CUNHA. 

